For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1.21

I have had the privilege of knowing many faithful men and women. But of all whom I have known, none exemplified this principle more than Henry Mahan, my friend, pastor, and mentor. I had the privilege of knowing him for 42 years of his life, and in all that time, I never knew him to be about anything other than Christ. By sight, I can say that for Henry, “To live was Christ.” And now, by faith, I know that for Henry, to die was gain. God called Henry to his eternal home on the morning of May 31, 2019. He was 92 years old. Henry now beholds the face of the One whom he preached from the time he was in his early 20’s until he could no longer preach. Since for Henry, “To live was Christ,” we can know that “to die was gain,” for in death, he got more Christ. Thus, in death, Henry got more life, for he gained more of Him who was and is his life.

We rejoice for Henry’s sake and extend our sympathy to his family for this loss is even more acute for them than for the hundreds and even thousands of those who benefitted from the ministry that God gave him and enabled him to carry out. And we give thanks to God for enabling Henry to teach us Christ. And we now give God thanks for taking the old warrior home to rest – no longer old, no longer at war, but rejoicing in the full vigor of eternal youth and enjoying the victory God has given to him through Jesus Christ, our Lord.